The present invention relates to a language information processing apparatus fit for use as a portable translation apparatus or an electronic translation apparatus, for example.
Language information processing apparatus have heretofore been devised to translate into another predetermined language (e.g., into English) a model phrase that a user has chosen from among fixed forms of model phrases (e.g., in Japanese) prepared in advance and to display the translated phrase on a display unit and/or voice the phrase in the target language as in the case of a portable or electronic translation apparatus. In order to make compliant translation possible, further, a certain type of language information processing apparatus is adapted so that the user may register any characters in a predetermined portion (portion with * * * ) of a model phrase like `My name is * * * ` and `I live in * * * ,` for example.
However, such a conventional language information processing apparatus has the following problems concerning the displaying and voicing of characters or a word thus registered by the user.
(1) In a case where a registered character string is pronounced in a way peculiar to the source translation language, a problem arising therefrom is that the registered portion may not be properly pronounced in a target translation language when it is attempted to have the registered character string translated and pronounced.
(2) In a case where a registered character string consists of characters peculiar to the source translation language such as kana characters or Hangul alphabets, the registered portion may not be properly displayed in a target translation language when a model phrase is translated and displayed. When `Tom` is converted into roman letters, for example, it may be displayed as `Tomu` instead of `Tom` as a correct display.
Therefore, the result of translation of the registered portion is displayed in special characters like `* * * ` without unreasonably translating that portion into a target translation language in the conventional language information processing apparatus. In the case of a model phrase like `My name is "Tom" (the registered portion is shown by double quotation marks),` for example, it becomes `My name is * * * .` In this case, however, the problem is that what has been registered in the registered portion is left unknown as viewed from the target translation language (English).
(3) A certain combination of registered character string like `ayu` and `kya` in Japanese, for example, may not be pronounced; when they are registered, a line boundary character check can be considered so that such a character string is prevented from being input. Notwithstanding, the line boundary character check for use in placing input restrictions requires extremely complicated programs and this would result in raising a problem in that satisfactory input speed is unobtainable because the processing speed of the CPU used in a microcomputer or the like is low.